Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham vote to give Obama fast-track trade authority
By Brian 4 Liberty - May 23, 2015
(RPF) - Politics make strange bedfellows. Most Republican Senators are siding with President Obama on fast-track trade authority, otherwise known as Trade Promotion Authority (TPA). Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), a vocal opponent of both TPA and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, also known as TPP or ObamaTrade, has outlined the potential negative effects of this supposed "free trade" agreement. His objections include the potential and likely erosion of US sovereignty and US law, as well as Congress ceding more power to the Executive Branch via the fast-track option.
Senator Rand Paul is one of the few members of Congress that have actually read the current draft of the TPP "free trade" agreement. The mammoth document is being forged in secret, with help from various powerful corporate special interests and lobbyists. To maintain secrecy, Congress can only read the document in a secured room, where they can not take notes or record the content in any way. Many assume that a "free trade" agreement would focus quite a bit on leveling, lowering or eliminated tariffs. But on the Hannity radio show, Senator Paul stated that he could find no lowering of tariffs, or any mention of tariffs at all in the agreement.
Another concern of Senator Sessions, as well as for many on the Democrat side of the aisle, is how this agreement will effect the average American. Democrats are more concerned about the consequences for US labor and environmental laws, while others are simply concerned about the negative outcome for the middle and working classes. Past trade agreements have resulted in massive off-shoring and outsourcing, which has resulted in lost jobs in the US. This has coincided with massive importation of labor, both legal and illegal, which can also displace American workers and reduce wages by artificially increasing the labor supply far beyond the lack-luster, recession-stunted labor demand. Senator Sessions has stated that special immigration privileges will most likely be included in the TPP agreement.
The predictable result has been more unemployment and lowered workforce participation. Naturally, this increases the UI and welfare roles, while food assistance programs such as Food Stamps and EBT have expanded to record levels. The additional burden on the government budget then adds to the astronomical government debt. Gainful employment has become much harder to find for American youth, including recent college graduates, even in some of the vaunted STEM fields. In inner cities, the unemployment level has reached the crisis point, where discontent has become palpable, and occasionally contributes to eruptions of destructive unrest.
The Key Senate Votes
Of the members of Senate running for President in 2016, Senators Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham voted for cloture and passage of TPA. As the key votes were extremely close, those three votes could have stopped TPA in it's tracks.
This is not new territory for Senator Graham, who has often sided with President Obama on legislation and appointments. After the gang of eight fiasco, it's not terribly surprising for Senator Rubio to side with crony corporatist interests, as both immigration and preferential trade agreements top their list of priorities.
The real surprise is Senator Cruz, whose past arguments against ceding power to the executive branch, eroding national sovereignty and calls for transparency are contradicted by this secret, back-room, crony corporatist deal with it's potential negative ramifications. In a joint op-ed by Ted Cruz and Paul Ryan, the implication seems to be that we can trust President Obama with fast-track power.
Unfortunately, that trust has been broken, and it is difficult, if not impossible for many Americans to grant anymore. Far too many unconstitutional executive branch overreaches have occurred in the past for new faith in benevolent leaders wielding unchecked power. For Congress to cede additional authority to the executive at this point is hard for many to accept.
We have seen the results of past so called "free trade" agreements such as NAFTA on the American middle-class. It's not surprising that the main beneficiaries are the interests that have a seat at the table in the backroom when this immense legislation is crafted in indecipherable legalese. There is no reason to believe that this time will be any different. Fool us once, shame on you, fool us twice, and we won't get fooled again.
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Originally Posted by Brian4Liberty
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